DEFECTION Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

defection

noun

Definition of defection

as in apostasy

Related Words

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Dissimilar Words

as in desertion

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of defection With just less than 48 hours to go before election day, a party that had spent months trying to unite behind its Senate nominee was suddenly grappling with an extraordinary defection in one of this year’s most important races. — Joey Cappelletti, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026 With just less than 48 hours to go before Election Day, a party that had spent months trying to unite behind its Senate nominee was suddenly grappling with an extraordinary defection in one of this year's most important races. — ABC News, 1 Nov. 2026 Diplomats and workers sent abroad must surrender their passports and leave relatives in North Korea as collateral to deter defection. — Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026 Rahm won the league's individual title in each of the last three years, making his defection from the league arguably its biggest hit. — Ryan Morik Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for defection

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defection

Noun

Many members of today’s professional class are apostates, and this apostasy is worth taking seriously as a sign of an economic order that cannot seem to justify itself to its own public-relations arm.

— Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2026
When every disagreement with Israeli government policy became, in your telling, the first step toward apostasy?

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 6 July 2026

Definition of apostasy

Noun

Mobilization problems, desertion and a shrinking pool of eligible men leave exhausted soldiers serving longer and commanders struggling to rotate forces along the 775-mile front.

— Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Mary Cormier and David Butts, of Scott, were arrested and charged with second-degree cruelty to juveniles, child desertion, and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles, the Scott Police Department said in a statement.

— KC Baker, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of desertion

Noun

But Valdez suggested such schisms within the party would likely take a backseat to unity on domestic concerns like economic issues and immigration.

— Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 5 Nov. 2026
The schism would go on to shape the future of journalism from the newsletter economy all the way up to the highest echelons of Hollywood and television news after Weiss was appointed editor in chief of CBS News last year.

— Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of schism

Noun

Stewart gave the character so much humanity, life, and fear, the terror of a life wasted in pursuit of wealth to the abandonment of all else.

— Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2026
If one relative always made Christmas dinner, this year’s gathering may shift to a potluck, a smaller meal or a new host, a change the Hospice Foundation of America describes as a form of compromise rather than abandonment.

— Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of abandonment

Noun

When the nucleus ultimately disintegrates, these pieces move apart rapidly and the neck snaps quickly, a process known as scission.

— Charles Q. Choi, Scientific American, 24 Feb. 2021
The structure is easily broken down in a reaction called scission (like scissors), which tears up the polymer chain.

— Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 5 Aug. 2020

Definition of scission

Noun

Past legal troubles, scrutiny around his finances, allegations of infidelity and a 2023 impeachment.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026
Well, The Tailor’s Wife heavily implies The Wicker Baby is the result of The Wicker Husband’s infidelity.

— Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of infidelity

Noun

For decades, Alberta separatism remained on the political margins.

— Sheena Rossiter, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026
Future of separatism Keith Wilson, another Alberta independence leader who was lead counsel for the 2022 convoy organizers, said separatists see the vote as a way to give Alberta more leverage in dealing with Ottawa, even short of independence.

— Rob Gillies, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026